News from the DioceseThe Ordination to the Priesthood of Father Daniel Sedlacek - On June 25, 2016, Father Daniel Sedlacek was ordained to the Priesthood of Jesus Christ. Now, he begins his first assignment at Saint John the Baptist Parish in Marshfield and Christ the King Parish in Spencer, as well, as Chaplain to Columbus Middle and High School in Marshfield.As the fourth oldest of nine, Father Sedlacek grew up experiencing the closeness of family and faith on his family’s dairy farm in Cornell. Father Sedlacek attributes his priestly ordination to his diverse experiences throughout his time in seminary, from attending University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, MN, while residing at St. John Vianney College Seminary, to attending the Pontifical North American College (NAC) in Rome, merely a 7 minute walk from the Vatican. What he learned on his journey allowed him to experience for himself that God was calling him to the priesthood...Read More

News from the Pope:Pope Francis in Armenia: May we hasten to Christian unity - (Vatican Radio) On the last day of his three day visit to Armenia, Pope Francis participated Sunday in the Divine Liturgy celebrated by his Oriental Orthodox host, Catholicos of all Armenians Karekin II. In a discourse at the conclusion of the celebration, Pope Francis spoke of his “already unforgettable” visit and prayed that the two Churches “follow God’s call to full communion and hasten to it."...Read More

News from the Church:Benedict XVI Celebrates 65 Years of Priesthood, Expressing Thanks - VATICAN CITY — On Tuesday, Benedict XVI gave his first public speech since his final day as pope, expressing gratitude for a lengthy priesthood and for Pope Francis’ “goodness,” which he said moves him deeply. Speaking to Pope Francis and the College of Cardinals gathered inside the Vatican’s small Clementine Hall for the 65th anniversary of his priestly ordination, Benedict said the Greek word Efkaristomen (“Let us give thanks”) expresses “all that there is to say” for the occasion. “Thank you, thank you, everyone! Thank you Holy Father — your goodness, from the first day of your election, every day of my life here, moves me interiorly, brings me inwardly more than the Vatican Gardens.”....Read more

The next spiritual work of mercy highlights an act of charity we tend to avoid. “Comforting the afflicted” is often looked down upon because we are told that suffering is a sign of weakness. This means many of us will never bring up our affliction in front of others if fear of appearing to be weak.

Additionally, we are afraid of suffering and so staring it in the face makes us feel uncomfortable.

Instead of dealing with the suffering in our lives and going to others for comfort, we are told to “mask” our suffering by numbing it. We do this through coping mechanisms and try to “drink” our sorrows away or even watch TV to ignore our affliction.

Masking our suffering has culminated in recent years through “eliminating” in abortion or euthanasia. We are told that suffering should not exist and must sweep it all under the rug.

It should come as no surprise that “comforting the afflicted” makes us so uncomfortable. We don’t want to hear about suffering, because it reminds us of our own suffering. Yet, performing this work of mercy is exactly what we need. In a very real way, “comforting the afflicted” has spiritual benefits for both parties. Not only does the afflicted person feel “heard,” but also the person listening becomes an image of Christ, who bore all of our sufferings on the wood of the cross. Jesus said, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). We should not be afraid of our suffering, but take it to Christ and sometimes that means we need to take it to the “Christs” in our midst. It is not a sign of weakness to share your suffering with someone. In fact, it takes great courage.

Pray for the Living and the Dead

The final spiritual work of mercy is simple and accessible to all: “pray for the living and the dead.” However, it is very easy to forget to pray for others in our “me” centered culture. While it is appropriate to ask God for what we desire that should not be the center of our prayer life. The world does not revolve around us.

Praying for others helps us acquire the virtue of charity and combat the sins of pride and greed. If we think and pray more about others, we will have a very fruitful prayer life that imitates the love and care that God has for us.

However, praying for others does not stop once they are buried in a cemetery. The dead need our prayers as we do not know their final destination. Most likely they are in purgatory (we have no way of knowing) and our prayers help them draw closer to Heaven. This practice is as ancient as the Jewish people and can be found in the book of Maccabees:

“[Judas Maccabeus] turned to prayer beseeching that the sin which had been committed might be wholly blotted out… He also took up a collection... and sent it to Jerusalem to provide for a sin offering. In doing this he acted very well and honorably… Therefore he made atonement for the dead, that they might be delivered from their sin” (II Maccabees 12:39-46).

The need for atonement for sins after death is again revisited in the Gospels and in the letters of the New Testament. In the Gospels Jesus makes a reference to Purgatory:

“Make friends quickly with your accuser, while you are going with him to court, lest your accuser hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you be put in prison; truly I say to you, you will never get out till you have paid the last penny” (Matthew 5:25-26).

The most obvious text in the New Testament comes from St. Paul in his letter to the Corinthians:

“For no other foundation can any one lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any one builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble—each man’s work will become manifest; for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work which any man has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire” (I Corinthians 3:11-15).​This is the most explicit reference to Purgatory in the Bible and speaks of our final judgement and the need to be saved “through fire.” We in turn are asked to pray for our deceased family and friends in a similar way that we are asked to pray for the living. Both the living and the dead (those in Purgatory) suffer trials and both are in need of prayers to help alleviate the time and pain endured.

Whenever we pray for the dead, we should always seek to examine our own lives and contemplate the state of our soul.

Saint Paul​Our Mother Mary needs your help! We are down to 2 volunteers that come every Monday at St. Paul’s from 10:30 to 1:00 pm to make rosary’s that are sent all over the world. Supplies are on hand. Please find it in your heart to help out with how ever much time you can spare!

Help is needed! Please consider signing up to assist God by being a Lector, an Adult Funeral Server, a Mass server, an Eucharistic Minister, or a Sacristan. Contact the rectory , Father Letona will have summer training for each. ​

Saint Michael​The Stain Glass Window Committee is reminding everyone that window pledges are due by June 30, 2016

“A Scrap Book History of St. Michaels”: Shirley Finucan is working on this wonderful project and is looking for your family data relating to their history with St. Michaels church. There will be a box at the back of the church for you to put your memories and pictures. (Dates of baptisms, confirmations, weddings, etc. are needed as well from 2005 on newer).

Saint JamesPlease remember to donate to the Camp Douglas Food Pantry. There are several drop spots here in Camp Douglas.

Much of the world's attention in recent years has been drawn to the Syrian refugee crisis and its widespread impact on the Middle East, Europe, and the United States, but Bishop Elizondo pointed out that the increase in migration from Central America of unaccompanied migrant children and families, many of whom would likely qualify as refugees, has been an ongoing concern for the Catholic Church and political leaders here in the United States for years. And these are not the only populations of concern...Read More

News from the Pope:Pope Francis: Look in the mirror before judging others - Before judging others we should look first in the mirror to see how we, ourselves, appear. That’s what Pope Francis said at Monday morning’s Mass at the Santa Marta guesthouse in the Vatican. In his last Mass with a Homily there ahead of the summer break, the pontiff pointed out that what distinguishes God's judgment from ours is not “omnipotence” but “mercy.”...Read More

Why these particular two saints? Archbishop William Lori of Baltimore thought it would be a good way for people to encounter these two great saints through their relics, explained Aaron Weldon, the religious-liberty program specialist who is coordinating this tour for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, which is sponsoring the event together with the Knights of Columbus...Read More

The fifth spiritual work of mercy (to forgive offenses willingly) is one of the hardest to perform. Jesus did not go easy on His disciples when they asked about this attribute of discipleship:

“Then Peter came up and said to him, ‘Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?’ Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven.” (Matthew 18:21-22)

Jesus instructs His apostles to forgive “seventy times seven,” which is believed by scholars to mean “without limit.” This forgiveness Jesus speaks of stands in contrast to the “limitless” vengeance Lamech proclaimed in the book of Genesis:

If we are to be a true follower of Jesus, we must become missionaries of forgiveness instead of warriors of vengeance.

Above all, we must not limit our own forgiveness of others lest we become hypocrites. How can we be forgiven of all our sins in the sacrament of Confession if we continue to hold a grudge against our neighbor and refuse to forgive them?

Jesus reminds us, “For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and the measure you give will be the measure you get” (Matthew 7:2).

If we want Jesus’ mercy to be limitless for us, should we not have boundless mercy towards others?

When Pope John Paul II was shot in St. Peter’s Square, he quickly forgave his attacker at the first moment he could. In fact, he forgave his assassin during the ambulance ride to the hospital!

The greatest way we can cultivate a forgiving heart is devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. He is Mercy itself and teaches us the perfect and boundless way of forgiveness. When we find ourselves unwilling to forgive, we must recite these words:

O Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, Make My Heart Like Unto Thine!

Think about this work of mercy for a few minutes and while you do that, think over the past year. Do you hold any grudges towards friends or family members? Are you willing to forgive them? They may not be open to your forgiveness, but that is up to them. All you need to worry about is having a right relationship with God and holding onto the past, seeking retribution, can injure that relationship.

If you can not forgive, ask Jesus for the strength. One of the regrets many people have on their death-beds is that they didn't forgive someone.

Saint Paul​Our Mother Mary needs your help! We are down to 2 volunteers that come every Monday at St. Paul’s from 10:30 to 1:00 pm to make rosary’s that are sent all over the world. Supplies are on hand. Please find it in your heart to help out with how ever much time you can spare!

Fall Festival News: It was decided at last Wed. Fall Festival Meeting that this years cele- bration would take place on Sept 18th. Our Swiss Steak meal will remain at $10 for adults & $4.50 for 10 & under. Posters and raffle tickets are being printed & will be distributed in Aug. Please read the announcements each week in your church bulletin & help us make this years event a very successful one. If you are new to our parish, let us know where you could help and be the most beneficial to our celebration. Any questions call the rectory at 562-3125.

Saint Michael​The Stain Glass Window Committee is reminding everyone that window pledges are due by June 30, 2016

“A Scrap Book History of St. Michaels”: Shirley Finucan is working on this wonderful project and is looking for your family data relating to their history with St. Michaels church. There will be a box at the back of the church for you to put your memories and pictures. (Dates of baptisms, confirmations, weddings, etc. are needed as well from 2005 on newer).

Saint JamesPlease remember to donate to the Camp Douglas Food Pantry. There are several drop spots here in Camp Douglas.